Hello,
My name is Rachel.
My country is Scotland.
A country steeped in fairy faith.
A place of mythical valleys,
Fairy glens and fairy pools and logs,
And ancient Caledonian pine forests,
Where fairies or wee folk can be found in the tree hollows and abandoned birds' nests.
In the rivers and barns which flow through the mountainous valleys,
There are river sprites with webbed feet who ride on the back of the leaping Scottish salmon,
Tucked away inside unused teapots and empty shop red tins.
Wee folk called brownies,
A sort of house fairy,
Live amongst the Scottish people inside their very homes.
Although,
Most people never look close enough in the nooks and crannies to ever spot them.
Now I'm guessing you might like to join me on an adventure here in Scotland and hear more about these mystical wee folk,
Guardians of our hills,
Forests and homes.
So get comfortable,
Maybe have a little wiggle of fingers and toes.
Take a deep breath in to fill your chest full of air and a deep breath out again to relax your body down into whichever comfy spot you might be sitting or lying in.
Gently close your eyes and come with me to Scotland.
Now,
This story is called The Fairies and the Dog Rescue and it involves our friend Isla and tells about how she works together with the fairies to rescue a lost puppy who's out in the storm.
Now,
Since her visit to the Fairy Palace of Elfenhaim,
Isla's life had changed in remarkable ways.
Although growing up,
She'd always had the gift of fairy sight.
The fairies and wee folk had always darted out of sight when she was around,
Giving her the sense that she wasn't alone,
But not quite sure who or what she had just seen.
Now,
However,
She had been fully accepted into the fairy world and was gradually learning the ways of the wee folk.
How exciting it was to wake up and find a house brownie chatting to her from her nightstand or have a little water sprite pop up out of the water and giggle at her as she paddled her feet in a burn.
The whole summer and autumn had passed since Isla had been at the Fairy Palace of Elfenhaim and she was now firm friends with a number of fairies and wee folk who she encountered most days.
She was close as friends with the two house brownies who had lived alongside her for eight and a half years without her even knowing.
She first met them after waking up in her bed after her trip to the Elfenhaim.
She was quite sure when she woke up that she must have just had the most vivid dream about riding on a boat across a log,
Being snuggled up on the back of an owl as it flew through the forest and eating the most delicious food inside a tree stump of all places.
The last thing she could remember was watching the fairies dance below her while she cooried up in some cotton tufts on a balcony high up in the tree trunk of Elfenhaim.
And here she now was,
Human size again,
In her own bed and with no recollection of having gotten home.
It wasn't until Inglenook and Coogie seemed to zip line onto her bed from an invisible spider's thread and introduced themselves that she realized it wasn't a dream after all.
Her life really had taken the most magical turn.
Inglenook and Coogie had previously lived at the back of the earring cupboard in her house,
Completely undiscovered by Isla and her mum.
But now Isla knew of their existence,
She made sure that they move into her room.
She had a wooden doll's house that turned out to be the perfect size and with the brownies natural talent for reusing and repurposing,
They gave it a wonderfully cozy makeover.
Isla's mum was quite surprised in Isla's newfound interest in playing with her doll's house.
She had in fact been thinking of donating it to a charity shop as Isla hadn't shown much love for the doll's house for the best part of a year.
However,
Not at any point did Isla's mum even think for a second that the doll's house had become the new home.
The doll's house was a bit sparse on furniture,
So Isla and the brownies had great fun making some.
They created beds out of two unused glasses cases,
Lining them with some foam that had previously been used to protect the contents of a parcel.
Isla used her mum's sewing machine to make bed sheets out of one of her own pillowcases and the fairies chatted to the garden birds who kindly donated a load of downy feathers to fill their duvets and pillows.
Together they made side tables out of corks and old bottle tops.
They filled in the windows with bits of coloured plastic which Isla had carefully ironed to create a stained glass window effect.
This gave them more privacy but also cast beautiful rainbows inside their new home when the sun shone.
They also used the feathers from the birds to stuff sofa cushions and they used wooden lollipop sticks to make a sofa frame.
They even managed to crochet a rug and weave string into a pattern for a hammock.
Now it was in this hammock where the two fairies were lying top to tail with Isla giving them a tiny push with her index finger when the doorbell happened to ring.
It was a wild and wintry day when Isla ran to the door at the sound of the doorbell leaving the two fairies to swing themselves.
The reason she was in a rush was because her mum had ordered her some watercolour paper and she was desperate to try painting some portraits of the wee folk that she now called friends.
As she opened the door the cold snapped at her face and a flurry of snowflakes blew in.
Rona the post lady gave her a smile despite struggling with the blustery conditions at the door.
I can see you've eagerly been awaiting this delivery Isla.
Isla took it and thanked her.
Then Rona apologised for being late and explained how she'd already been stuck in the snow twice since beginning her postal rounds.
She asked Isla if her or her mum had happened to catch sight of the neighbouring farmer's new pup.
His name was Spud,
A Scots word for potato and he was a tiny brown and black border terrier.
Rona explained that being a terrier he was prone to all kinds of mischief and that when Willie the farmer had gone out to check on his sheep wee Spud had scarpered off into the snowstorm.
Rona explained how Willie's wife Morag was sick with worry when she delivered her poster a few minutes ago.
Isla's mum came to the door and they both explained to Rona that they hadn't been outside yet due to the weather so unfortunately they hadn't spotted wee Spud.
Isla was particularly upset by this news as she'd been over at the farm meeting the puppy only a week ago and she'd totally fallen in love with him.
Isla thought that border terriers like wee Spud were the perfect dog.
Border terriers are a breed of dog that originated in the borderlands that separated Scotland and England in the early 18th century.
They have wiry coats and black velvety ears which drop down neatly on the side of their little heads.
They have small faces that Isla thinks makes them look like an otter and they have little beards on their chins.
They are plucky,
Happy and fearless little dogs and are often kept by farmers.
They were once quoted as being the bonniest little pet that ever nestled in a lady's lap or struck terror into the heart of a fox.
Isla and her mum said goodbye to Rona and wished her luck on her postal round.
And once the door closed Isla suggested to her mum that they should go out looking for Spud.
Mum,
He could just be in the forest beside the house.
Oh my goodness we should definitely check the log.
Imagine if he'd gone through the ice?
She gasped in horror.
Isla dear,
It's too wild to go out there at the minute.
You can barely see a hand in front of you.
Spud is a clever wee thing and he's got that double coat that's designed to keep out the harsh weather.
He'll probably be better protected than if we were to go out there.
Please don't worry.
But worry was all Isla could do.
She went to her bedroom where Ingle Nook and Cokie were still swinging in the hammock and told them the terrible news.
Now fairies and weefolk are lovers and fierce protectors of all the animals and they understood just how Isla was feeling.
They all agreed that they must do something to help the young pup.
But what could be done?
Ingle Nook had an idea.
If we could get a message out to Anthea then I'm sure she would help.
Who is Anthea?
Isla inquired.
Anthea is a Scottish word meaning stormy or rough and the fairy Anthea lives up to her namesake.
She is a fairy who loves exploring in cold and wintry conditions.
She regularly gets rides on the back of migratory birds such as swallows and then spends time in the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains.
She's back at the moment.
She's got a new friend.
She's back at the moment and she lives in a tree hollow in the woods.
I suggest we find her and explain to her poor Spud's predicament.
Oh that's a fantastic idea.
But unfortunately mum won't let me go out in this snowstorm said Isla.
What can we do?
Don't worry Isla.
Inglewood and Cokie chimed in unison.
We'll go.
Oh no gassed Isla.
It's wild out.
I'd be too worried.
House fairies have smaller wings than the outside fairies don't they?
What if you get blown off course?
But Inglewood and Cokie insisted that they were up for the job.
They layered up their clothing as much as possible for it was too late for Isla to sew them any new winter clothes and they flew up to Isla's window.
And they flew up to Isla's window for her to let them out.
She began to open the window.
But then a ferocious blast nearly toppled them off the window sill.
Isla bit her lip with worry and suggested that they use some twine to create a tether between their wrists to stop them losing one another in the storm.
Once they were tethered together Isla opened the window once more and the two brave house fairies jumped off the ledge.
Within a split second of them being outside they were lost from view in the white out storm conditions.
And Isla was left at the open window holding her breath.
She knew the forest was just down the path from her house.
Not far in usual circumstances for the two little fairies.
And she hoped that in the forest the trees were providing some shelter from the worst of the snow and the wind.
But still Inglenook and Cokie were not used to the outside.
And hardly dressed appropriately for this type of cold.
She decided to leave her window open despite the icy drafts blowing in.
It would be unthinkable if she were to shut it and potentially lock them out on their return.
Isla put on a big cardie her mum had knitted her and got under her duvet to wait it out.
Oh how those minutes felt like hours.
All she could think about was dear dear Inglenook and Cokie out there in the storm.
If something happened to them they would be left to die.
She'd never forgive herself.
Another worrying thought crossed her mind.
What if Spud the dog had returned home and she was risking her fairy friends lives for nothing?
She ran down the hall to ask her mum to phone over to Morag the farmer's wife and ask if Spud was still missing.
Her mum was a bit reluctant concerned that Isla would get more upset if it was bad news.
But Isla's persistence won out and her mum called Morag.
Isla could tell from the look on her mum's face and the consoling words that she was using that Spud must still be lost.
Isla's mum finished the call and silently shook her head at Isla.
No,
He's not been found,
She said glumly.
Isla said to her mum that she wanted to go back to her room and her mum gave her a big hug.
Before she left.
In her room,
Isla felt conflicted.
On one hand,
She was glad that her little friend's mission to save Spud wasn't in vain.
But equally,
She was so heartbroken for little Spud still out there in the storm.
Isla then had a thought.
What if the whiteout was making it impossible for the fairies to find their way back home?
She went and fetched a torch and leaned out of the window switching it on and off,
On and off.
She did this until her fingers were icy cold and almost unable to push the button anymore.
Before finally,
Two tiny brownies came into view and they swooped into the room landing with a bit of a tumble before Isla quickly shut the window and dropped down to eye level with the fairies.
Inglenoog and Cookie's clothes were white with snow and their cheeks and hands flushed red with windburn.
They were also shaking as they tried to untangle themselves from the tether that was now wrapped around them.
Isla scolded herself for not thinking of having something hot there to warm them up with.
She told them she'd just be a wee minute as she ran off to get her mum to help her fill up a hot water bottle.
As she rushed back into her room with it they had managed to untangle themselves and she helped them both onto the furry hot water bottle cover where she ordered them to cosy in while she fetched them some dry clothes from the doll's house.
When finally warm and dry their teeth had stopped chattering and they were able to give Isla some welcome news.
The clever little things had managed to find Anfa and she was now off to try and track down her good friend Dora House.
So that together they could search for the puppy's bud.
Isla could not believe it.
Anfa the stone fairy teaming up with Dora the owl.
She left Ingonuk and Kogi cosying up on the hot water bottle to go to the kitchen and make a hot chocolate.
She cut the marshmallows into the tiniest pieces that she could manage and then carried them through with the hot chocolate before fetching a couple of acorn cap cups from the doll's house and filling each one from her mug of hot chocolate and sprinkling in the teeny tiny marshmallow pieces.
Ingonuk and Kogi's little faces lit up as they gratefully received their little caps of hot chocolate.
Fairies absolutely love sweet things and the little acorn caps of hot chocolate warmed both their hands and their tummies perfectly.
After finishing they cuddled up on the furry hot water bottle cover and fell fast asleep from total exhaustion.
As they slept Isla needed something to distract her from thinking about Spud out there with Ampha and Dora searching for him.
She got out her new watercolour pad that had been delivered that morning by Rona.
Ingonuk and Kogi looked so adorable cuddled up together in that furry hot water bottle cover that she decided to pull up her stool beside them and begin to sketch them.
Ingonuk had short sandy blonde hair that was always ruffled around his little face.
Although his eyes were closed just now they usually shone an amazing emerald green colour framed by the longest thickest set of eyelashes you have ever seen.
He also liked to wear green his favourite item being his little green waistcoat made from the emerald leaves of the green velvet houseplant with tiny bark buttons.
He would pair this waistcoat with some culotte style trousers cut from an old Hessian potato sack in contrast to Ingonuk's short sandy hair.
Kogi had black ringlet curls that fell from his little eyes all half way down her back.
Her hair shone like a pair of polished black shoes and her eyes were like deep pools of glacial blue always sparkling with curiosity.
Kogi liked to wear earthy brown and red colours and her special outfit to wear to the Elfenheim was a beautiful russet red dress teamed with a poppy leaf cape.
As Isla busily sketched focused on trying to catch all of the spider web like veins in Ingonuk and Kogi's delicate wings she didn't notice the owl landing outside on her windowsill until she heard the tap tap on the glass from Doraha's sharp beak.
Dora!
Isla squealed waking up Ingonuk and Kogi from their sweet slumber she could not believe that she was seeing her owl friend once more.
Now I hope you've enjoyed this first part of the story of the dog rescue and that you join me next time to hear what happens when Isla meets Doraha again and the storm fairy Ampha and what becomes of dear little Spud out there in the snow.
I hope you are cooried down somewhere nice and you can imagine the feeling of being warm and safe inside sheltered from the bad weather outside.
Maybe you can even imagine what it would be like to be cuddled up on a hot water bottle like Ingonuk and Kogi.
Having a sweet sleep after enjoying your own hot chocolate.
Sweet dreams from Scotland.
